Effects of ethnicity in african politics pdf

Black substantive representation in state legislatures from 19711994. Ethnic politics as a cause of ethnic inequalities in. Ethnic politics as a cause of ethnic inequalities in africa. The impact of violence on society due to political and ethnic rivalry is a wellknown phenomenon. Ethnicity and its effects in ghana wir newswir news. Yet research using african survey data typically fails. Political instability is defined as the process whereby the political life or atmosphere of a country or nation suddenly changes or fails. A number of challenges face the continent in the 21st century.

The challenge of ethnicity in africa ethnicity is more than skin color or physical characteristics, more than language, song, and dance. It was the military that had dominated the politics of precolonial africa and influenced the continents history at different times. Afro asian journal of social sciences volume 1, no. Jun 05, 2018 a related cap analysis found that racial disparities in indirect contact with the criminal justice system persist long after childhood. African authors as well as non african scholars concerned with african politics blame the ethnic divisions and rivalry amongst the nations in africa on the arbitrary boundaries and cultural differences created and imposed upon these peoples by the colonial masters mahoso, 27 april 2010. He argues that african politics are driven by an economy of affection, whose communal orientation underlies ethnic solidarities. A person is therefore responsible for the state of his or her character, for character results from the habitual actions of a person. Paradoxically, despite its contemporary currency, the word itself in current usage is recent, first appearing in the oxford english dictionary only in 1953.

Ethnic consciousness is a product of contradictions embodied in political relations of structured inequality common in many african nations. The study explored the nuanced relationship between ethnicity and political violence. Religions of africa 1985 that one of the most fascinating aspects of our history is the richness and varieties of its religious traditions. With an analysis concerning ethnicity and how the conflict can be set in relation to this, it is explored that the crisis holds an ethnic, yet complex, character.

On the african continent, political and ethnic tensions have led to armed conflicts. The prevalence of ethnic diversity in africa is not the challenge to democracy in africa, tribalism is juma, 2012. The foundations of ethnicity, the markers of ethnicity, the history of ethnicity, the aims and goals of ethnicitythese vary from case to case eller, ethnicity, culture and the past, 552. Areas covered range from political system types, political economies, and political cultures of diverse. The impact of the issue of slave trade on underdevelopment of africa.

The politics of ethnic identity in subsaharan africa lse research. According to assimeng 1981, ethnocentrism is a condition under which a particular tribe sees itself as the centre of the universe, that is, the central pivot or. At domestic level, african governments are run in ways that have been regarded as far from the modern western state systems,osei tutu, 2004 upon which they are modelled. Understanding the relative divisiveness of ethnicity and religion in african politics thus requires additional study. Democracy in africa successes, failures, and the struggle for political reform. One reason is that the nature of ethnicity in most african states is instrumental rather than primordial. In earlier times, african ethnic groups were commonly labeled as tribes, a term that has mostly disappeared from. Pdf colin wayne leach is a social psychologist interested in how people emotionally experience their statusoriented comparisons to other people. During the colonial times, the dutch east indian introduced racial segregation. Remember, what makes africa, africa is our culture and traditions and we cannot throw these away all in the name of nationalism.

Ethnicity and politics african studies oxford bibliographies. Ethnicity and nation building in contemporary africa. It exists in rich and poor countries alike, it involves both. Unfortunately for africa, this was done to an colossal scale.

Nov 19, 2012 effects of ethnicity ethnicity, first and foremost, can lead to an exaggerated and fanatical adherence to the values of ones group which gives rise to what is called ethnocentrism. African american students of their racial identity before taking tests in subjects where it is widely thought that women and african americans perform poorly. The colonization of africa has had a defining impact on africa as a whole. This book examines the effects of ethnicity on party politics in subsaharan africa. Effects of colonialism on africas past and present. Oct 17, 2009 concentrating on ethnicity as the primary cause for conflict underestimates the complexity of african societies and politics, and deviates policymakers attention from the real causes of conflict. Fighting against tribalism and ethnicity in africa is just like fighting against indigenous cultures, traditions, languages, etc. Political competition and ethnic identification in africa. A good example of this happened in nigerian biafra civil war in 1967.

In this regard, ethnicitys impact on politics and democ ratisation may depend on. Participatory politics grew in the 1990s and 2010s, as the percentage of african countries holding democratic elections increased from 7 to 40 percent and in 2010, freedom house classified eighteen countries on the continent as electoral democracies. Ethnicity is now universally regarded as a key element in the political process in african states. Democratic constitution and ethnic organizations in malawi.

The study examined secondary data on ethnicity, politics, democratic transition and political violence to understand the nature of recurrent political violence in kenya. At first glance, africa appears to be on the right track. The challenges of ethnicity, multiparty democracy and. The continent is surrounded by the mediterranean sea to the north. One gap in the instrumentalists theory is that it does not take account of the role played by the populace in ethnic politics in africa. Without doubt, one can say that ethnicity influences political. South africa remains a complex mix of different races, cultural identities, languages and ethnic bonds. Introduction it is thoughtprovoking how in a globalised world where borders have become more and more diminished, the concept of ethnicity still seems to have a substantial impact on the political and societal agenda worldwide. It has been estimated that nigeria has as much as 350 ethnic groups based on lingual classification. Kaspin, 1995, the politics of ethnicity in malawis democratic transition, journal of modern african. Among covid19 deaths for which race and ethnicity data were available, new york city pdf icon external icon identified death rates among blackafrican american persons 92. Tribalism in africa the complexity of ethnicity 4th semester spring 2009 hib 03.

N37,n47,o55 abstract in this paper we evaluate the impact of colonialism on development in subsaharan africa. Christianity and islam are leading religious traditions each has in excess of 250 million followers in africa. In the years to corne, ethnicity, in whatever concrete form and under whatever name, will be so important a political resource and an idiom for creating com munity that todays social scientists and anthropologists have no choi. This paper contributes to debates on the crisis of the african state, particularly the challenge posed by the rentseeking elite, ethnicity and political violence. Corruption in africa a threat to justice and sustainable peace editors. The colonial governments committed a very small administrative corps to their.

Colonialism and economic development in africa leander heldring and james a. Salih and markakis 1998 examines the power and potency of ethnicity in nationstates like those of east africa. Today, in many transitional african societies, intergroup and power issues across groups have reemerged since the colonial structures that suppressed them have. Elizabeth nduku john tenamwenye 14 focus corruption in africa a threat to justice and sustainable peace corruption has always existed in different forms, and is not determined by politics or geography. Working paper series explaining african ethnic diversity lse. Colonialism and the provenance of political ethnicity the cheapness of colonial rule was an early source of political ethnicity. Ethnicity is more than skin color or physical characteristics, more than language, song, and dance. In the years to corne, ethnicity, in whatever concrete form and under whatever name, will be so important a political resource and an idiom for creating com. An ethnic group is made up of an aggregate of people who claim direct ancestry from a common ancestor or ancestress, real or putative. This has tremendous impact on human relations in view of the resurgence of religion and its growing role in both public and private life. The case of african countries adora ofodile1 duke university durham, nc april, 2001 1 adora c.

There can be no singular explanation for or solution to africa s con. The structure of political conflicts in the new states of tropical africa. The case of ethiopia and nigeria 1970s1990s a history. How 17 countries are leading the way, steven radelet argues that many african economies have been growing fast since the mid1990s owing to the spread of democracy. It is not an overstatement when edem kodjo, author of africa tomorrow describes the condition of african as torn away from his past, propelled into a universe fashioned from outside that suppresses his values, and dumbfounded by a cultural invasion that. The impact of political violence on education in south. An akan maxim has it that one is not born with a bad head, but one takes it on from the earth. Pdf ethnicity and democracy in africa researchgate. Both ethnic political movements and territorial nationalism in africa are. The origin, development, ethnic politics, impacts, postcolonial governance. Institutions and ethnic politics in africa by daniel n.

Mass incarceration, stress, and black infant mortality. Identity ethnicity in political groupings were also significant in traditional african society. Ethnic politics continue to pose a security threat to many african countries and has had adverse effects on prospects of promoting good governance or democracy. The political impact of multinational mining companies in zambia. The establishment of borders to clearly define areas of influence has had major impacts. Review of african political economy publication details, including instructions for authors and. A perspective for nonkilling emmy irobi polish academy of sciences summary the wish of every country is to have a harmonious, killingfree society where peoples dreams for a prosperous future is realized, and goods of modernity properly distributed fairly. To understand the impact of the colonial intrusion of state and market and the african. African maxims are explicit about the formation of character. The good, the bad, and the ugly of identity politics. Africa is the worlds secondlargest and secondmost populous continent, after asia. The unending political tensions, wars and conflicts in the continent have had.

Scholars and students of african politics address some of the thorniest issues of our time. To understand the impact of the colonial intrusion of state and market. The first section attempts to locate the origins of ethnicity in colonialism. In most accounts, burundis persistent civil war fits contemporary discourse of the failed neopatrimonial state in which opportunistic elites mobilize ethnicity for economic gain. Chapter 5 how do religious beliefs affect politics. I hope that ethnic groups can learn to put some of these differences aside. Working paper series explaining african ethnic diversity.

When kenyans cast their ballots to pick the president, the roles played by ethnicity and tribalism are likely to be decisive. Race and ethnicity have been and still is at the heart of south african history, politics, society and economy since the european colonisation. Major challenges facing africa in the 21st century. Instrumentalists argued that ethnic politics is made possible because of the twin attributes of manipulability and exploitability of ethnicity ake 2000, p 94. Europeans quest were aimed at imposing imperial ideologies and pilfering african resources. Programme director, comrades, brothers and sisters, the effects of colonialism past and present are visible all over africa. Pdf democracy in africa successes, failures, and the. While scholars have studied the influence of ethnicity in structuring party politics in africa, those studies have largely been limited to an examination of ruling party. Many kenyans thought, perhaps wrongly, that under democracy, there should be competitive politics, that parties would be free to. Political institutions inherited from colonial control were. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of articles of eleven social science.

Participatory politics grew in the 1990s and 2010s, as the percentage of african countries holding democratic elections increased. Ethnicity and multiparty politics in kenya by 1990 when kenyas movement towards democracy had intensified, the ruling party kanu decided to extract political mileage from ethnicity. Indeed, over the last thirty years or so, the subdiscipline has expanded in scope and ambition, and leads the way in major fields of research, such as the study of ethnicity and identity politics. Sebastian elischer analyzes political parties in ghana, kenya and namibia in detail, and provides a preliminary analysis of parties in seven other countries including tanzania, botswana, senegal, zambia, malawi, burkina faso and benin. The african political instability and other related problems is basically a consequence of its leadership problem. Introduction he humanitarian problems of africa are manifest and widespread. Sadly, the foundation of nigerias party politics was triballyoriented as portrayed in the first until fourth republics. Ethnicity is a means through which conflicts in many african countries are conducted and a powerful tool for political mass mobilization. Posner2, and amanda lea robinson3 abstract facetoface interviews constitute a social interaction between interviewer and respondent, and in the african context, social interactions are strongly shaped by ethnicity. The impact of political violence on education in south africa. Furthermore, politics also functioned as a focal point in the crisis. Ethnic factors in politics among others are closely examined, while at the same time avoiding overstating their significance.

The second and third sections form the theoretical framework within which ethnic politics in kenya is analysed and interpreted. Rather, it enables the elite minority to dominate political and economic power. Periodic occurrences of ethnic cleansing as seen in rwanda, the ongoing conflict in darfursudan, the breakdown of democracy under the. Ofodile, trinity college, class of 2001, graduated in may, 2001 with a bs in economics, a minor in political science, and a markets and management certificate. Third, we will see that both nationalism and ethnicity in africa share a. The leadership in many african countries, with their ethnic diversities. The explanation for the origins of african severe underdevelopment is explained by history and much of africa s poor performance can be characterised by over 400 years of slave raiding nunn, 2007.

In kenya, politics split on ethnic divide africa dw 26. They are people who have one history of origin and therefore, have a common language, destiny and aspiration. Ethnicityd and development evelopment is a multifaceted process that could be. Political instability in africa where the problem lies and. An evaluation and understanding of the political development in nigeria requires a consideration of the impact of ethnicity. Ethnicity had played manifesting roles in nigerian politics since the precolonial era and is arguably one of the important causes of conflict and an overall obstacle to economic development of the country. Since then, african scholars argued that this practice continued even after independence in the continent. Image caption political violence soon took on an ethnic dimension after kenyas disputed 2007 elections. In fact, more than 1 in 4 african american baby boomers26. Even today, ethnic wars continue to be the most common form of armed conflicts around the world. At independence, and even in this era of multiparty politics, many political parties were not based on any fundamental ideology but ethnicity. In the world context, colonialism had very heterogeneous effects, operating through many. The ethnic virus has been one of the most important causes of social crisis and political.

The challenges of ethnicity, multiparty democracy and state. Examining the role of religious diversity and contagion effects introduction throughout history, ethnic conflicts have long been a component of international politics. By comparison with some african countries where ethnicity casts an imposing shadow over public debate it has manifested itself in a variable and episodic manner in ghana. Conventional wisdom suggests that ethnicity is phenomenally problematic in africa it is held partly responsible for the irrationalities of the development project, for political instability and weak national identity. Race and ethnicity in south africa south african history. Efforts to do so observationally, however, suffer from the fact that ethnicity and religion can affect african political behavior simultaneously. This paper examines the effects of ethnic factor on the developmental process in nigeria. It is the embodiment of values, institutions, and patterns of behavior, a composite whole representing a peoples historical experience, aspirations, and world view. Political instability in africa may owe much of its cause to internal factors, however the interpenetration of internal and external factors especially geo political and economic interests of the international community constantly play a significant role in undermining the very processes. Leaders often exploit tribal loyalty to advance personal gain, parochial interests, patronage, and cronyism juma. Postindependence african political system is characterized by ethnic based exclusion and marginalization. Indeed, one source discusses the negative political and demographic effects of slavery in early modern georgia in. Africans and africa scholars that ethnie or tribal particularism is not the specifically african problem it once appeared to be. The current concern with the relationship between armed conflict, especially one arising from the political mobilization of ethnicity, and constitutional and political engineering is understandable, given the worldwide resurgence.

The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and. When the political situation of a state or region is not certain because it has a high possibility of changing or getting disturbed, then we say there is political. It is the embodiment of values, institutions, and patterns of behavior, a composite whole. The postcold war period witnessed several positive changes with respect to democratization in africa. Relation between the state and civil society caused these changes, especially in south africa and the french speaking countries where national conferences influenced civil society participation after 1990. On the instantiation of political ethnicity, ethnicity is politicized, politics is ethnicized and ethnic groups tendentially become political formations whose. An introduction to african politics, this course will provide for its participants a general survey of the main issues regarding politics in the continent. The world is a competitive place, proponents of this position hold, and, in that world, ethnicity serves as a useful tool for mobilizing people, policing boundaries, and building coalitions that can be deployed in the struggle for power and scarce resources. Both ethnic political movements and territorial nationalism in africa are of the same recent historical origins.

Many african countries have reverted to tribal identities as foundations for political competition juma, 2012. Ethnicity and religion as sources of political division in africa. While examining the political implication of this phenomenon and the. Comparative analysis belay beyene chekole abstract. Africa s democratic transition is back in the spotlight. In south africa in particular, political and ethnic strife, originally fuelled by the. As a result, there are declining numbers of followers of traditional indigenous religions and very few atheists or agnostics.